Kingdom Hearts: Light or Dark?
by AngelofLight9
Summary: 2 Months after the trio's return to Destiny Islands, forces of darkness are devouring worlds and the balance is broken as war starts brewing between the forces of light and dark. SoKai and some RikuxOC near the end.Makes more sense when you start reading.
1. Part 1: Destiny Islands Prologue

OK...Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom hearts...credit to Disney and Square Enix for making such a great game.

This is my very first fanfic finally. Just a head's up...my story is separated into parts depending on where everyone is, and I have a few made OC's. This prologue takes place after Donald and Goofy depart from the islands.

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Part 1: Destiny Islands

Prologue: Just a Feeling

SORA POV:

I sat on the sandy beach watching the horizon sunset. I remembered how long it had been since I saw that sunset. I haven't seen it since the day this island was destroyed. But that didn't matter anymore. I was home, with my best friends. I was shortly accompanied on the beach with Kairi and Riku.

"Look at that sunset." Riku said indifferently.

"Yeah." I replied quietly. "I have a feeling this isn't the end." I said facing Riku.

"Isn't the end of what?" I turned and faced Kairi.

"Of our adventures."

"Why do you say that?" Kairi asked curiously.

"I just have a feeling. I can't really explain it. I think that it's all over, that we won't be leaving the Islands again, but I feel that this is the beginning of another adventure."

"Just a feeling huh?" joked Riku. I turned and smiled at him. I placed my arms around Riku and Kairi's shoulders and pulled ourselves together in a hug. "Yeah, just a feeling." We all giggled.

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Yeah I know...the prologue's so short. I wanted it to be like "it's-the-end-but-also-the-beginning" like feeling.I'm hoping I get a few good reviews from this. Well, Chapter 1 will be longer. I'll be posting soon. Hope you enjoyed it ^_^.


	2. Chapter 1

Just to remind you all, this is purely fanmade so some things might be different from the rules of light and dark and its history and some things about the Princesses of heart.

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Chapter 1: Nightmares

SORA POV:

I walked down the beach in moonlighted darkness, with nothing in my mind, except for that weird nightmare I recently started having. I told Kairi and Riku about it. They mentioned that they had a similar dream; a black cloud was approaching, devouring the light. Kairi mentioned she was trapped with other Princesses of Heart, with Kingdom Hearts visible in the background, and a small gathering of Heartless and Nobodies. In Riku's dream, he had been separated from Kairi and me and was devoured by the darkness – which is surely bothering him a lot.

I continued down the beach, also spotting Riku, as I recalled what had happened in my dream.

~*~_FLASHBACK~*~_

_I walked forward in the bright light, Riku and Kairi beside me. We just walked aimlessly, as if we had no troubles. We were all smiling. I looked forward and noticed a small black dot far in the distance rapidly growing bigger the closer Kairi, Riku and I got to it. I looked to the right and left to see Kairi and Riku's expression, but they were gone. Vanished. I looked back at the black dot but instead, I noticed that the dot was gone, and I was surrounded by Heartless. I fought with all my might, but the Heartless just kept coming. I got tackled from behind to the ground, and my vision was replaced with darkness…_

_~*~END OF FLASHBACK~*~_

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RIKU POV:

I sat on the shoreline. Hearing the rush of the oceans and watching the moon and stars at night always seemed to relax me. I had a lot of things on my mind ever since I started having nightmares the night after Sora got his. It made me wonder; what's the purpose of my dream? Is it warning me about something? Will I be devoured into darkness? Or was this possibly what my future held for me?

_~*~FLASHBACK~*~_

_I walked with Sora and Kairi somewhere in a white room. A dark fog rolled in, dimming our eyesight as we walked further. Suddenly, a breeze blew past and cleared away the fog. I looked around my surroundings and realized Sora and Kairi were gone. I checked behind me to find and outline of some kind of smoky cloud. The cloud sped toward me, enveloped me in darkness, and I saw a rapid flash of an unfamiliar, sad face right in front of me._

_~*~END OF FLASHBACK~*~_

"Hey Riku!" Sora cheerfully called. I nearly jumped at my spot, and turned my head to face Sora behind me. I must've spaced out as I thought about the nightmare. "How are you?"

I assumed he was talking to me out of concern. I told him about the dream this morning.

"Don't worry. I'm fine." Am I? I returned my gaze to the ocean and felt a small breeze blow past. "What do you think our dreams are about?" Using 'dreams' was a much lighter approach.

"I don't know," Sora replied, sitting next to me and leaning back, supporting himself with his arms, "Last time I had a dream that real, we all ended up being separated to different worlds." He had a point. I still remembered Destiny Islands being devoured and my journey which happened a year ago.

"Then our dreams might have a connection with the darkness?" Sora just shrugged.

"We will find out what our dreams mean eventually." He said, obviously trying to finish the topic.

"Yeah," I smirked, slightly feeling better, "You're right."

That was when Kairi sat between us.

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KAIRI POV:

I have been shaken up a little from the nightmare I've been recently having. I went to the shore, looking for the comfort of my friends. I spotted them and I decided to squeeze between them. I wanted both of their comfort.

"I'm not bothering anyone, am I?"

"No," Sora replied. "Can't sleep?"

"Yeah."

"Is it the dream?" Riku asked concerned.

"Yeah. I don't want to see the dream again, but…"

"What?" Sora urged.

"I also feel the nightmares will get worse." Sora wrapped his arm around me and I leaned on him. Riku padded me on my left.

"What do you think the nightmares mean?" I asked, wondering if Sora figured something out about the nightmares.

"I don't know." Sora and Riku said in unison. We giggled at that. I couldn't help but recall my nightmare.

_~*~FLASHBACK~*~_

_I woke up and found myself locked in a cell cage. The room was purely white, if we were actually in a room. It didn't feel like we were in a room at all, but more like a realm. I looked out of my cell and noticed other Princesses of Heart locked away in separate cells. Then, the room became black in color. I noticed that the Princesses and I were dressed in white clothes, more like dresses, that emitted a white, yellowish light, but that wasn't enough to penetrate through the pitch darkness. I could see Kingdom hearts hovering in its yellow moon color. Then, a kind of smoke cloud – I could only see a silhouette – devoured the Princesses. Their eyes became a crimson red, their hair turned black, and their outfits changed in design and color. They also seemed to be like dark silhouettes that were hard for me to make out. I looked back at Kingdom hearts and all I saw was a blue heart outline and Kingdom hearts was purely black in color. Then, the darkness devoured me._

_~*~END OF FLASHBACK~*~_

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In reply to Jedimasterchris1: I'll try making granting your request for making a Toy Story world. Thanks for reminding me about Toy Story ^_^.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter two is up and running. Thanks to Jedimasterchris and Wings of Sorrow and Blood for being my first two reviewers and thanks for the wonderful comments.

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Chapter 2: Surprise

SORA POV:

I woke up quite early the next morning. I opened the window behind me to take in the scenery. I left the window open to let in light and I peeked past the wooden divider; it divided the room in half so that Riku and I shared the room.

Riku slept in the front portion of the tree house the three of us built together so he could have a view of the ocean when he wanted to. I took a peek at his face and saw he was awake.

"Good morning Riku!" I happily greeted him. He certainly didn't seem surprised. He slowly got up, his leg was bent and he relaxed his arm on it.

"Good morning." He greeted back.

"Thinking?" I guessed.

"Yeah," He replied, "And not wanting to get out of bed yet." He smiled.

"Come on. Let's get something to eat."I suggested.

We walked out into the main room and Kairi's bedroom door was visible across the room. Kairi was nowhere to be seen. She was usually up by now. We checked kairi's room, but she wasn't there. Kairi was most likely outside then.

I was the first to approach the door, with Riku behind me. I opened the door and two bodies jumped on top of me and I swear I heard a duck quack. I fell back on top on Riku and I looked into the face of my attackers.

"Donald! Goofy!" I shouted with ecstasy. I noticed Kairi laughing in the doorway. She was in to the plan. "Surprise!" Kairi giggled.

"I'm so glad to see you guys!"

"We missed you Sora." Donald said.

"So we decided tuh come see ya." Goofy finished.

"I missed you guys too."

"Umm… excuse me. C-can't breathe." I realized we were all on top of Riku the whole time. Oops! I pushed Donald and Goofy off of me and got myself up. I pulled Riku up with all my might.

"Whew! Sorry about that." I apologized.

"It's fine," Riku breathed heavily, "At least I've learned my lesson." I was confused.

"What lesson?" Kairi joined us.

"NEVER," Riku added some stress to it, "stand behind Sora when he's about to open a door. There will be a chance that you may get toppled on." I punched him playfully as Riku smiled, pleased with himself.

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RIKU POV:

Let's go to the beach before you two return to Disney Castle." Kairi suggested.

Sora and I followed Kairi out the door but Donald stopped us.

"Wait! There's another reason why we're here."

"So this is not just a visit?" I asked.

"Well, it is sorta like a visit," Goofy said scratching the back of his head, "We are s'posed tuh accompany you three back tuh Disney castle."

I felt my eyes widen a bit. There was a possibility that king mickey might be there. I missed him so much.

"Is King Mickey still at the castle?" I had to ask.

"Ummm, nope," Goofy replied, "He left. Sorry."

"he said he had to investigate the other worlds of their conditions." Donald informed. I wondered why. King mickey usually left the castle in a time of crisis.

"Why are we going to Disney Castle?" Sora asked, looking confused.

"Uhhh, Queen Minnie didn't say. She just said tuh bring you three tuh the castle."

"Well then, we must go," Kairi said, "we shouldn't keep the Queen waiting."

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Well, that's the end of Part 1…

Hope you enjoyed this. Don't forget to review! ^_^


	4. Part 2:Disney Castle Chapter 3

Okay, some of the description of certain places may be a bit different because I'm just describing what I remember so don't criticize me for that. Things can change over a period of time from the original design to the fanfiction version.

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Part 2: Disney Castle

Chapter 3: Arrival

KAIRI POV:

I was so excited to arrive at Disney Castle for the first time. We entered the Castle via Gummi Ship hangar. When we departed off the Gummi Ship, we were greeted by two small and cute chipmunks, both wearing yellow overalls.

"Welcome back Sora!" one greeted. The other with a red nose tugged his arm and pointed to Riku and me. "Chip, we've got visitors."

"Well then," Chip, I assumed, pretended to pull a coat, "I'm Chip."

"And I'm Dale," He said pointing to himself.

"I'm Kairi and this is Riku."

"Hi." Riku greeted with arms crossed.

"Ok folks, time to get a move on. Queen Minnie's waiting!" Chip urged in his high pitched chipmunk voice. Sora nodded.

"Follow us." Sora told Riku and me. Chip and Dale waved goodbye to us and we went down the hall to the conference room.

We followed Sora, Donald and Goofy down the main hall past several doors. The walls were pearl white, and the floor was of white marble. After a few minutes of walking, we stopped in front of a huge pair of doors, rectangular with a small arch.

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RIKU POV:

I took a quick look at the doors before Donald and Goofy opened them. The doors had a mouse insignia and keyhole. I looked behind myself to see Kairi's reaction. She seemed to be in awe with the whole structure of the palace. I took a deep breath as we all entered the room one-by-one.

The room was white and made with the same marble. In the center was a rectangular white table with white cushioned chairs. At the head of the table was Queen Minnie with Daisy on the left. Donald sat next to Daisy, and Goofy sat next to him. Sora sat next to Queen Minnie, Kairi was next to him and I sat near the end, next to Kairi. Once we got comfortable in our seats, Queen Minnie spoke in her high pitched voice.

"Shall we start the meeting?"

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That's it for Chapter 3… Sorry it took so long. Busy with moving. I'll try to get Chapter 4 up as soon as possible.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Meeting

RIKU POV:

"King Mickey told me to hold this meeting if he doesn't return after three days." Queen Minnie informed us.

"Where'd he go?" I asked.

"He went to look upon the events of the other worlds."

"What's happening?" I asked.

"Merlin has reported to us about the happenings of Hollow Bastion. There have been numerous heartless attacks, and there are black clouds hovering over." I rested my hand on my palm and rubbed my chin with my index finger. I was thinking.

"Do you know who's causing this?" Sora asked in an adept tone.

"No," Queen Minnie replied sadly, "But King Mickey did write to us yesterday about what the black cloud causes." That caught everyone's attention. "King Mickey believes it contains darkness and can seep into people's hearts that already have a hint of darkness, causing them to be devoured."

"So that would be a danger to Riku!" Kairi said shocked but concerned about Riku.

"Yes, it would," replied Daisy, "But we did a little research and found a spell capable of containing the darkness within you." I considered this. So this "cloud" contains so much power and darkness that it could pose a threat to me and my friends. That was a chance that I was not willing to take.

"But only a wizard can perform it." Queen Minnie added, "You really have no choice. You have to use the spell otherwise you'll be devoured." I felt kind of reluctant at first (and this made me feel vulnerable at the same time), but I was doing this for my friends.

"I understand," I answered, trying to hide my reluctance.

"The spell will have to wait though until after you meet King Mickey," Daisy informed. That brought my hopes of seeing King Mickey back again. I missed him a lot.

"Anyway," Queen Minnie continued, "King Mickey requested that the three of you -" she gestured to Sora, Kairi and I, "- accompany him to find out the source of the darkness."

"Donald and Goofy can't come?" Sora asked, sounding somber.

"'Fraid not Sora," Goofy replied regretfully.

"We need to take precautions and protect the castle while King Mickey is away." Donald quacked.

"Okay," Sora lowered his head.

"Well, you still have Kairi and me with you." Surely that would cheer him up. It did once I saw is wide smile.

"Yeah, Sora," Kairi encouraged, "We'll still be with you." I patted Sora's shoulder and smiled myself.

"Where are we going to meet King Mickey?"

"I'm not sure," Queen Minnie replied, "But you must be off." I nodded and Sora, Kairi and I stood up and headed for the doors. We bid everyone farewell and Queen Minnie said hers, "Good luck!"

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Where will the trio be going next?...hmmmm? You'll have to read the next chapter to find out. I'll also try to make my chapters a bit more lengthier to lessen the chapters.


	6. Part 3: Gracey Manor Chapter 5

Part 3: Gracey Manor

Chapter 5: Gates

SORA POV:

We landed the Gummi Ship on what seemed to be a trail in the middle of a murky swamp. There was no sun and no sound. The trees were dry and gray with dead, hanging branches and dead, leafy vines. The ground was covered in dead, yellowish green grass, leaves and branches. I had an eerie feeling that the place looked like this year round.

I took a look behind me to see Riku and Kairi's reaction. Riku looked emotionless, but I was sure that he was probably feeling the same creepiness that I felt. Kairi, on the other hand, had a not-so-sure face.

"Let's go find the King," I tried saying lightly to try lessening the gloomy feel.

"Do you think it's going to rain?" Kairi gestured to the sky. I looked up and saw dark gray clouds gathering above us.

"Maybe," Riku guessed, "we better find some shelter." After a few short steps, we approached a gate attached to a cinderblock wall. The gate was rusted with some dead vines hanging on. The gate had a letter "G" emblazoned on top. Behind it, we could see a grand, gray mansion covered with vines. The place was rather vine-y.

"What do you suppose 'G' stands for?" I asked, feeling dazed.

"No idea," Riku & Kairi replied in pensive voices.

"Hey! Sora, Kairi, Riku! Over here!" We all turned our heads to the direction of the familiar voice. It was King Mickey in his black cloak!

"King Mickey!" I shouted and we all ran up to meet him. We greeted him with a hug.

"How are you?" Riku asked concernedly.

"Just fine," King Mickey giggled, "That new program works well."

"What new program?" I asked kind of confused as to the new program.

"Cid and Tron created a new program for the Gummi ship. It allows you to schedule meeting places. Just enter the time and place of the meeting place. When that time comes, just enter the Gummi Ship, start it up, and it'll take you to the meeting place."

"That was a great idea," Riku commented, clearly impressed.

"You have to tell that to Cid and Tron, not me," Kin Mickey said.

"So that's why we were brought here?" I confirmed. King Mickey nodded.

"I scheduled this meeting place three days ago."

"That's the day you lift Disney Castle," I pointed out.

"Mm-hm," King Mickey nodded.

"What are we supposed to be doing here?" Kairi asked, pointing to the Manor.

"There's an old gypsy living here," King Mickey replied, "I can't imagine anyone living here; except maybe ghosts."

"Why are we seeing her today?" Kairi asked inquiringly.

"To find out who's causing the heartless and darkness to spread. Everybody I have inquired during my travels have no idea about who's causing this. The gypsy living here may be the only ones who know."

"And you need us here to find out too," I finished for him.

"Exactly," King Mickey said brightly.

"How do we get in?" Riku asked.

"That's the problem," King Mickey said, "I think the gates open from the inside." Kairi bravely walked up to the gates.

"But the lock is outside the gate," she examined, "We can try signaling someone to open the gates for us." She beckoned the three of us over.

"Already tried," King Mickey said effortlessly, "Nobody came."

* * *

KAIRI POV:

"We can try again," I replied. I was positive that the gates would open eventually. "Hello! Anyone there? We got lost and need someplace to stay for the night." _Really convincing Kairi. _I've never been that loud before that it felt awkward. Nobody answered.

Riku and Sora stood on either side of me. Riku supportively put his hand on my shoulder. "It was a good try."

"We will wait all day for the gate to open if we have to," Sora smiled; I returned one.

"We don't have that much time, Sora," King Mickey said regretfully.

Then, I felt a cold, wet drip on my right cheek. I felt another, shortly after, and another and more of the cold and wet drippings fell. It was raining. We rushed back to the tree where we met King Mickey. Sora crouched me beneath his jacket, showing some efforts to keep me dry.

"Sora, you don't have to do this," I said, slightly feeling bad that he was getting wet and not me.

"I'd rather be sick than see you get sick." I smiled to myself, blushing and a bit flattered. Sweet Sora.

Just before we sat on the roots of the barren tree, we heard the creaking of metal. The gates were opening.

"Let's go!" Sora shouted. We all rushed through the gates and climbed the stairs to the front step of a pair of grand doors. I got a little bit wet, seeing how it is harder to keep dry underneath someone else's jacket while rushing through rain.

I laughed at Sora, and Riku and Kign Mickey joined in the laughter. Sora was soaking wet! Sora giggled and rubbed the back of his head a bit sheepishly. Then I thanked him for keeping me dry by giving him a great big hug. Then I kissed him on the cheek.

"I love you," I whispered into his ear.

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RIKU POV:

I laughed at Sora being so wet. It was quite funny. I cleared my voice of laughter and smiled back at Kairi and Sora. I felt somewhat happy for them that they have slowly started to show their feelings for one another. But then I would wonder what it would be like to be loved and have a girlfriend. Though I didn't really know whether Sora and Kairi were dating or not. I just pushed the thought to the back of my head and focused on the task at hand.

I took hold of one of the door knockers. They were large and shaped as the head of a gargoyle. The door knockers were also heavy metal I realized as I knocked on the door. I took a step back and watched, along with the others, as the door opened. We all entered and as I looked behind the door that opened, there was no one behind it, closing the door.

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Sorry for taking a long time to type this chapter. I have been busy with moving and school work. BTW, I wrote the haunted mansion's appearance based on what I remembered so I apologize for any misconceptions of the Haunted Mansion's actual physical appearance. Also, don't criticize me for making Riku's side be so short. I at least wanted him to participate in this chapter so at least I did.

All-in-all, I hope you enjoy. I will try and have more chapters up quickly, but I can't guarantee that I will have them up very soon. Don'tforget to R&R! ^_^


	7. Chapter 6

Hey! Sorry it took so long. I have been busy and I just needed to find some time to write. I also neede some time to figure out how I was going to do things in the plot. Well, enjoy the chapter.

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Chapter 6:

SORA POV:

The mansion we just stepped into seemed to almost be a few centuries old by now. The corners of the ceilings and the walls had dull, chipped paint with some cobwebs. In front of us, above a dark hallway, was a clock, old and dusty. On either side of the hall was a staircase which lead to another hallway, I assumed. To our right was a curtained door.

Riku whistled.

"This place is old," he commented.

"Hello!" I yelled. Someone would hear, if anyone even lived here at all.

A loud clap of thunder startled me and I jumped. Riku chuckled at me.

"Scared?"

"No!" I snapped back, "Just startled." I looked at Kairi. She shuddered suddenly.

"You okay Kairi?" She moved in closer to me.

"I just have a bad feeling about this place."

"You're not the only one," I was having the exact same feeling, and I doubt the king and Riku felt differently. I looked at the King.

"What do you suggest we do?"

"Maybe we should go through the hallway. Someone will most likely be there."

"You think that's a good idea?" Riku asked, concerned for everyone's safety. I was too. No one was around besides us and the place was creepy.

"We can't do much else. We won't get anything done if we just stand here."

"He's right," kairi agreed.

"Alright," I turned to the hallway. "AHHHHHHHHHH!" I jumped back in shock. It was an elderly man with bright blue eyes and short white hair. His pale skin seemed to cling tightly to his bones. He had very prominent cheekbones and a small chin. There was something about him that felt strange and not normal. He came up behind me without making a sound. I looked at my friend's faces. They all seemed dumbfounded as I was. Then I heard kairi behind me say, "Good evening sir."

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RIKU POV:

"And who might you be?" He asked sharply. This guy came out of nowhere behind Sora, and felt a creepy aura around him. I even felt that he might be as old as the house itself. But I let it slide and tried to give a good impression.

"I'm kairi," She glanced at Sora and me. I was surprised that she would even introduce herself to a guy who has a chilling aura about him. However, I don't expect that she doesn't feel that dark aura that I feel. She's the one closest to the guy and probably feels it more than I do. She's got some good intincts.

"I'm Riku and this is Sora."

"And I'm Mickey," King Mickey tried to sound gleeful.

"My name is Ramsey, the butler." The creepy man introduced, "Now for what reason must you all be here at a rather inconvenient time?" There was a moment's silence. This man must really be busy with something to say something like that. That's what got me suspicious of what he might be doing. Kairi finally spoke.

"Oh, well, sorry for the inconvenience, but um…." Kairi hesitated. I could tell this man was troubling her. "We got lost outside…"

"And it started to rain," Sora continued for her.

"The gate opened afterwards. We just assumed that we were welcome to come inside." I finished for them, "We don't know where we are and we need a place to stay. Could we stay here?"

"I see," replied Ramsey in a rather morose tone, although I don't know why it would sound like that, "Even so, it is rather inconvenient for you to be here so I must ask you to leave."

"Aren't you supposed to be the butler? Where's the master of this house?" I couldn't see why he shouldn't let us stay so we can meet the gypsy. I never would've spoken like that but we have a mission here. I can't let this slide. Sora and Kairi shot me worried glances.

"Well…" Ramsey started but was interrupted by a gentler voice.

"Now who's this?" It was a voice from a younger looking man with short black hair and was wearing an odd outfit.

"Master, these juveniles wish to stay here for the night from having lost their way."

"Well, I don't see a problem for them to stay for just one night."

"Master, don't you find it rather inconvenient?"

"What's the inconvenience? Let them stay Ramsey, just for one night."

"Very well," Ramsey finally gave in.

"Thank you Mister…" Kairi started.

"Gracey," the man said, "Have you already eaten?"

"Yessir, we did," Sora said quickly before Kairi or I could. That was good. We shouldn't waste our time here when other worlds could be receiving attacks from Heartless.

"Well then," continued Gracey, "Ramsey, why don't you show them to their rooms." Ramsey nodded and gestured the us to follow him.

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Well, that's it for chapter 6. I'll try to post more chapters sooner. I'm gonna try to add my action and try my hand at some romance... I'm not going to say between who however...you'll have to read on to find out.

Don't forget to R&R! ^_^


	8. Chapter 7

Yay! I was able to get this chapter up sooner! Fair warning: it may seem rushed. I had started writing this and with some new ideas coming up, I had to keep writing that I got off-book. I hope you all enjoy this!

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Chapter 7:

KAIRI POV:

I was alone. Sora, Riku, and the King were all placed in different rooms, I guess to respect privacy among genders. My room had a single, deep red, canopy bed. The walls were lined with pictures & curtains, and the floor was covered by a burgundy carpet. I had no idea what to do next so I decided to wait for Sora, Riku, and the King to come get me. I just also felt insecure about going out by myself. In that dark hallway, I just felt like I was being watched by unseen forces. I just couldn't bring myself to look for the others' rooms.

In the meantime, I explored some things in the room. There were pictures, perfume, alcohol, and a small box, which aroused my curiosity. I opened the box and a small spinning couple appeared accompanied by a sweet tune, much like a lullaby. After a moment, I closed the box. When I turned around, I was …not scared, but amazed at what I saw. I gaped at the sight of a glowing, misty orb that emitted a soft, blue light.

"You won't hurt me will you?" I thought last minute that it was stupid to ask. It probably couldn't understand me or reply to me. Seeing how it didn't attack me yet, I figured it was probably harmless. For some reason, I also felt warm and safe around this glowing orb. It's presence didn't feel threatening, like an angel. "Can you help me find a gypsy that's living here? We need to find the source of the darkness and neither Yen Sid nor Merlin can find out it source."

The glowing orb edged towards me then turned around, floating to the door. I assumed it wanted me to follow it. I followed it to the door. The orb floated through the door and I heard the keyhole unlock. Was it locked before? I didn't realize it was locked until now. Why would Ramsey lock it? I set the suspicion aside and exited the door. My once insecure feeling of entering the hallway was replaced with warmth and security. I didn't bother going to find Sora, Riku, and the King's room. I followed the orb.

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SORA POV:

"Now what?" I asked Riku, rather impatiently I realized a bit later, as we waited in our room. King Mickey was placed in another room. Ramsey said that King Mickey is "not a human, just a talking animal". I paced back and forth tired of the waiting. I didn't like this Ramsey guy, he had a dark feeling around him…to me. But I'm pretty sure the others must've felt the same.

"Enough of that," Riku ordered, "If you're that anxious about Kairi then we'll go get her."

"It's just that I don't think it would be okay for her to be alone in a place like this," I was just feeling concern. Actually, I thought that most of Ramsey's sharpness was towards Kairi…he was rather suspicious in his behavior…he is a butler after all and I didn't think one would act like that. Kairi, I could tell, seemed tense with him in front of us. He just has that gloomy aura that makes you feel tense and unsafe.

"I get what you mean," Riku replied, "How 'bout we just go out and find that gypsy?"

"Alright, we should also get the King." I went to the door and tried to open it. It was locked. I didn't understand why it was locked. Why were we locked into the room? This was too complicated for my mind to comprehend a rational reason for this. With this thinking, I stood at the door for a few seconds.

"You ok Sora?"

"Yeah," I turned to him, "The door's locked. Well, it's nothing that the Keyblade can't unlock." I tried to keep positive. I summoned my Kingdom Key and pointed the blade to the small keyhole. A thin stream of light shot out from the blade's tip and penetrated through the keyhole, unlocking it. I returned my Keyblade and opened the door. King Mickey was standing there.

"I was just about to get ya!"

"So was I!" King Mickey replied

"Have you seen Kairi?" King Mickey nodded a no. We joined him and followed him two doors down to Kairi's room. He knocked but there was no answer. King Mickey took a peek for us. When he looked at us again, he gave us a worried look. "She's not there!"

"Are you sure?" I asked. King Mickey nodded.

"She must've gone to find the gypsy!" Riku said.

"Well then let's go!" I urged. As we turned to go down the hallway, Ramsey appeared at the far end. We all stopped in our tracks and froze. Then a second figure appeared…coming from a Corridor of Darkness! The three of us rushed into Kairi's room and cracked the door to hear the conversation.

* * *

RIKU POV:

"You said to call if anyone came here and might ruin my plans?" that was Ramsey's voice. He seemed to be confirming something.

"Yes?" the voice of the unknown person was smooth but deep and dark.

"Three people by the name of Sora, kairi, and Riku, and a talking mouse called Mickey is here. I fear they may get in the way of my plans."

"Thanks for informing me," said the male, "Do what you want with Sora and Riku. But we need Kairi." He said 'we', that means that there are more like him. Sora fidgeted.

"What would they want with Kairi?" whispered Sora.

"I don't know but keep quiet for now. We might get some more info from him." I understood his concern for her. I care for her too but in a more friendship way. I can tell they both have feelings for each other, they just haven't admitted it to each other yet.

"Very well," replied Ramsey, "I shall get her for you."

"You do that," replied the unknown male, "I'll return shortly." Shortly after this, distinct footsteps could be heard making its way to the room. Unfortunately, we were too late to react and the door swung open; Ramsey stood tall in front of us.

"She's not here!" Sora said defensively.

"Is that so? Well then, I won't dally here any longer, and take care of some important matters first."

"You're not worried about us leaving?" I asked calmly, hiding my confusion.

"Well, I don't assume that you know where your friend is. So you won't find her right away. With that said, I must depart." Ramsey turned to walk away. Suddenly, Sora summoned his Kingdom Key and swung at Ramsey. I was expecting Ramsey to fall down from the impact of the hit, but I was shocked to see just a pale blue wisp of smoke floating where Ramsey once stood. Then, as fast as it happened, the blue smoke manifested itself into Ramsey. He was a ghost!

"I see you will be more trouble than I thought," Ramsey raised his hand and some kind of invisible force pushed the three of us back. This caught me off guard and surprised me. We flew back and hit the wall. The door slammed shut and locked. I stood up immediately. We had no time to waste. I unlocked the door with my blade and forcefully pulled Sora and the King up.

"Let's go."

* * *

Well, that's it with Chapter 7. I'll be typing up my next chapter as soon as possible. do feel like my chapters have been getting a bit boring so I'll try to make it more...interesting. I'm not really the one to type up some chapters before getting to the action. I'm more to the point and so I get impatient when i read or write chapters like these. But I'm pretty sure it should be getting interesting soon... Read on if you want to know what happens. Oh! And don't forget to review! ^_^


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

KAIRI POV:

I followed the ghostball until I entered a dark hallway. Then it disappeared, like a fog. In an instant, I lost my safe feeling, the sense of security I felt when I was with the ghostball. Chills climbed up my spine. For a moment, I felt like I was nailed to the spot; I didn't bother to move. I admit it felt scary to me; being all alone in a dark creepy manor, not knowing where I was, but I knew I had to get keep moving to find the gypsy. It is vital in saving the worlds.

I slowly walked down the hall – more like sneaked – and the distant green light grew brighter. I could hear a woman's deep hollow voice. It sounded like the woman was chanting, to what I did not know. I walked closer until I came to the room. It was rather small and compact a little. There was a roundtable in the center and a tall chair. In the middle of the table, which was covered by a thick tablecloth, was a crystal ball, glowing with a greenish-white light, but the entity inside had a kind of green wisp of smoke floating around. I couldn't find the source of the voice however.

"Who is speaking?"

"I am Madame Leota," The source seemed to be coming from the crystal ball. Something inside the bright ball rotated. A face appeared, it was a pale green and the head had curly auburn hair. Her lips were a bright red. "What would you like to know?"

"What is the source of the darkness?" I asked, feeling suddenly urgent. For some reason – I realized a little bit late – King Mickey didn't know the source. He didn't even know if it was being controlled by anyone. Does that mean even if he talked to Yen Sid, then even Yen Sid doesn't know? Does that mean whoever is controlling the darkness, he is somehow concealing himself? Or maybe it's because the culprit hasn't made an appearance nor has he boasted his power yet. Whatever the reason, I knew that this gypsy, Madame Leota, must know.

"The source is from a man who can control the darkness," replied Madame Leota. Her eyes were in a deep gaze, as if she could read the future in my eyes. "He sided with the darkness and let it overtake him."

"What is the man's name? What does he look like?"

"You do ask a lot of questions," the gypsy said exasperated. I was taken aback.

"Well I'm sorry, but we need information on this guy! Nobody else knows about him!"

"Very well," Madame Leota gave in, "This man is called Xior. He takes many forms but keeps the same name. Most of the time, he is a shadow, hiding in plain sight. Don't worry about how to find him. Roxas and Naminé can sense him. He is a Nobody and Nobodies are somewhat connected. They will feel each other's presence, unless they are in a Corridor of Darkness."

"Okay. Thank you for your time," I stood up. As I turned to depart, Madame Leota stopped me.

"Wait!" she shouted suddenly. I jumped and I felt my heart pounding.

"The ones who can sense Xior's presence the best are the Princesses of heart." I listened attentively. "They have the purest of hearts and therefore can sense any dark presence. Also to defeat him," she continued on as I patiently listened, "You need someone with both light and dark in their heart."

"RIKU!" I turned, ready to leave and tell Sora and the others what I know. They needed to know fast. "Thank you!"

"Wait! There's one more thing I need to tell you."

* * *

RIKU POV:

Sora, the King, and I walked down a hallway. We managed to go down another hallway, and we went at a steady pace. I endured this steady pace, even though I felt like I was being watched at the same time. I felt that I had to hurry and get out of the place. The hallway we walked into was long; curtained windows lining the wall to our left. We already turned right where busts sat in half-circle holes in the wall in front of us. Their faces seemed aggravated…at our presence maybe. Their eyebrows were furrowed; they had frowns, and deep wrinkles. After the turn, I looked back; the busts were staring at us still.

This new part of the hallway had paintings and portraits on the wall to the right. I have to admit they were nicely made. To our left, there were some more windows. _Don't they have enough windows?_ I thought. Then some lightning flashed. The light flashed onto the pictures. The pictures became an uncanny sight. One picture of a man riding a horse turned into a picture of them both as skeletons. Chills raced up my spine, which was usually unlike me, but I never had a single good feeling once we walked into this mansion. Staring at the portrait, I bumped into a sturdy figure, which knocked me out of my gaze.

"Are you alright Sora?" He looked as tense as I was.

"Yeah," Sora nearly whispered, "This just feels . . . different." More lightning flashed on the lined-up portraits, accompanied by the low drum beat of thunder. Some other paintings I noticed changed at the flash of lightning.

"Pay no attention to those pictures." ordered King Mickey in his squeaky mouse voice, "We need to find Kairi."

We continued forward and slowly approached a chestnut door. It was strange though. The diamond shaped carving near the bottom seemed to bulge out then in. It was as if it were breathing; airy noises like breathing or something like snoring came from the door, or maybe behind the door. More chills raced up my spine. I tried to ignore it and relax. Sora tentatively reached for the doorknob, then slowly opened the door.

* * *

KAIRI POV:

I walked down a dark empty hallway, filled with numerous doors on both. It made me a little nervous though because all of the doors had door knockers – which knocked on the doors on their own. I hurriedly rushed through the seemingly endless hallway. To my right, there was another hallway. I got this impression that this house was like a maze, and wondered how anyone could live in a place with so many long hallways. What caught my eye was a single floating candelabra in the middle of the hallway. It seemed strange and mysterious. I gazed at it for a while with curious wonder. I continued my way down the long hallway, not really knowing where I should be going or where this hallway led to.

On my left there was a vast wide window. There were still raindrops on the sill; I guessed the rain had stopped. I stepped up closer to take a look at outside. I just saw dark bare trees and a starless night. Suddenly, I saw someone, a man just fall. I jumped back, mouth open in shock. I heard two thumps, and a loud alarm go off. I looked down out the window and saw a dark man, lying against a black car hood, obviously in pain. I kinda felt bad for him, but I couldn't find a window latch to get out and help so I just continued forward. There wasn't much I could do really if I couldn't find a way out. Finally at the end of the hallway, I came across a large, wooden chestnut door. I noticed a diamond shaped carving near the bottom, which seemed to inflate at times, and then flatten down. It also made these eerie breathing sounds. A little reluctantly, seeing how I have nowhere else to go, I opened the door.

I entered a dark room, the only thing that shone brightness was a single candelabra, that was placed on a small dark table next to a telephone and a full-length mirror. A raven's caw startled me and sent my heart racing. I did calm down quickly once I spotted the raven perched on top of the wooden frame of the mirror. I walked up to inspect the objects that were visible; the candelabra, the telephone, and the mirror. The raven's presence comforted me, even though its eyes were a deep luminescent red. I think any kind of presence comforts me as long as it seems gentle or is some sort of harmless animal. In my mind, thinking about this made me feel somewhat naïve.

As I inspected the telephone, I learned that it was one of those very old-fashioned phones, the kind where you have a circular wheel you needed to spin in order to dial. It startled me once it started to ring. I waited anxiously for the ringing to stop; each ring sent chills flowing like crazy throughout my entire body. _When was it going to stop?_ I hugged myself, and then it finally stopped. I frantically looked around the entirely dark room. I felt as if someone may have come in hearing the phone's ring. I also felt as if the ringing would start again. But instead, I heard the ethereal cry of the raven again. When I looked at it again, its red eyes were very piercing, unlike the last time. I diverted my attention away from the raven and looked at the mirror. Despite the dark dimness of the room, I could see myself clearly. Behind me, the room seemed like a fog fading into pitch blackness.

I got a disturbing feeling; like someone was watching. I felt like I was being intrusive; like someone didn't want me here. I glanced back at the raven. It still looked at me with menacing red eyes; I wondered why it even watched me. Chill continued racing inside my body and I gradually began to feel cold. I kept my gaze on the raven, suspicious of its post. I thought it would swoop down and attack me if I didn't keep watch on it. It suddenly cawed and I jumped with fright. I could feel my heart beating rapidly in my chest. _Calm down!_ I ordered myself. Slowly I brought my gaze back to the mirror. I screamed at the sight. I saw myself, covered with horrible burn scars! My skin looked melted and there were holes where my skin was burned off, revealing blood and bone. There were also lines of blood dripping down from my face. I took a frightened step back.

"Kairi?" I spun around and screamed. I backed up frantically and tripped over my own feet. Instead of the feeling the impact of the hard wooden floor, I felt warm arm catch me and slowly set me down on the floor.

"Don't be afraid," the voice sounded very familiar. "It's me, Sora." A great feeling of catharsis spread throughout my entire body. I hugged him tight as he was kneeling beside me.

"It's ok. I'm here," Sora said warmly as he hugged me back. His words and embrace comforted me.

"Don't forget about us," Riku said, trying to add some humor to make me feel better. I smiled.

"D – don't look through the mirror twice," I warned.

"We wouldn't plan on it," Riku replied calmly. It was typical of him to be calm.

"Did you find the gypsy?" King Mickey asked.

"Yes," Sora and I loosened our embrace, but we were still holding each other, "I followed a ghostball." With it being dark, I couldn't see their expressions much, but I could tell they must be shocked.

"Well, you can tell us what you know later. Let's go," said Riku. I heard him go where I was sitting and Sora was kneeling and grab a candelabra.

"Come on," Riku opened a door and ran, quickly followed by King Mickey. Sora grabbed my hand and helped me up.

"Thanks," I told him.

"No problem," I think I saw him smile. Still holding my hand, he lead me through the door.

* * *

FINALLY! I got this chapter up! Sorry it took so long...I've been having writer's block quite often now. It's so annoying. I have also been busy planning what to do in other chapters and where they should go. If you have any world request, like where you would like to see the trio travel, please feel free to request when you review, and I'll change mt plans for whatever i see fits for you. ^_^ And pls review or else...!


	10. Chapter 9

Well i finally got the time and motivation to post up a new chapter ^_^. And the better news is.. is that this is the last chapter of the haunted Mansion! I couldn't help but feel I had this part going on for so long. But don't worry.. I'll be placing new worlds, especially one that has been requested. Hope you enjoy this last chapter of part 3 ^_^.

* * *

Chapter 9:

SORA POV:

We quickly made our way down the main staircase. It took us a while to find our way there, this mansion was like a labyrinth in itself. I don't know what was wrong with Riku, but it seemed he sensed something which Kairi and I couldn't sense ourselves. If it was darkness, we should be able to feel it coming as well, unless Riku was more connected with it. Eventually, we finally made our way to the main entrance. Just as we approached the door, a transparent figure materialized.

"Leaving so soon?" asked Ramsey, rather curtly.

"You can't keep us here!" snapped Riku.

"Oh you think so?"

"What's wrong Riku?" I asked. I had a nagging feeling that something was bothering him.

"I have a bad feeling," Riku replied solemnly. "I've felt like someone has been watching us, following, since we've found Kairi." I looked at Kairi. She had a worried look on her face. Suddenly, a voice sound behind us, a chuckle. I whipped around at the sound.

"You have a strong perception," he sounded amused. The voice was sharp, but deep, it didn't hide the sound of evil cleverness. The owner of the voice was hiding in the darkness of the hallway underneath the clock. He slowly stepped out. His hair was flat, short, and nearly as spiky as mine, jet black, with bright amber eyes.

"The name's Nox," he introduced proudly, "And I can't allow you to leave."

"Why not?" I demanded.

"Well, until we get what we need from you, you can't leave. Although you have the power to leave whenever you want, but that would be rather hard if I fought all three of you." This guy was cocky. He surely wasn't going to let us leave.

"Who are you working for?"

"Whoever said I was working for someone?" Nox laughed, messing with us.

"We don't have time for this! What do you want?" Riku demanded.

"Ok fine. I'll tell you," Nox gave in and crossed his arms across his chest. "I need that girl"-points at Kairi-"to come with me."

"Wha-what do you want with me?" Kairi asked, more perplexed than scared.

"Well you see, we're just gathering the Princesses of Heart. It's really not hard to do if you just cooperate with me," Nox shrugged with careless ease.

"I'm not going with you," Kairi replied bravely.

"Now you see, if you refuse, I'll have to take you by force," Nox stepped forward. As he did, we all summoned our keyblades. Nox seemed taken aback but our fierceness. Really, what did he expect?

"We won't let you take Kairi!" I said defensively.

"Now I guess I have no choice," Nox reached to his side and pulled out a long sword from the side of his criss-cross belt, a katana. I never noticed it before. "You see, if I can't bring her by force, then we-"

"Now now brother" said a quieter voice, "Don't tell them too much." Nox lowered his katana. Another person, almost as tall as Nox with a hoodie on, appeared. His face was clouded by the hood.

"I wasn't going too," replied Nox annoyed.

"Sure you weren't." Nox seemed to glare at his "brother".

"I was just going to warn them about the last option." _"WHAT!"_

"Stop wasting our time brother. Let's just get this over with," the other urged impatiently.

"Wait!" I said, "What's the last option?"

"Well, if you really want to know," shrugged the hooded figure. "If we can't bring her back," he paused for a moment, "then we will kill her on the spot."

* * *

KAIRI POV:

I stood in my spot, shocked. A quick glance at Sora and Riku showed their shock as well, but I'm sure that just made them even more protective over me.

"Hey I don't like the idea either, since she is such a pretty little thing," Nox admitted, "But orders are orders, right Max?" The hooded man nodded. Shortly afterwards, a knife was flying towards me. I had little time to react but deflected the knife before it got too close to my chest. Practicing with Sora and Riku paid off quite a bit.

Suddenly, multiple Heartless appeared. I saw Riku dodge them all, heading towards Nox and Max while Sora and I had the Heartless. These Heartless weren't hard at all to defeat, they were the really basic kinds of Heartless, but they just kept coming. This was most likely to drain our energy so that the enemy could have an advantage to fight us. What a cowardly tactic. I managed to get to a clearing and Sora went to help Riku, who was parrying and returning knives being thrown at him. Where did Max store all these knives? That was the time when Nox disappeared. I searched frantically for him. Nox could be anywhere, waiting to strike.

"This is taking way too long," a voice complained impatiently behind me. I spun around, adrenaline kicking in. He swung at me first from above as I guarded myself from his attack. I pushed back his attack and sent a horizontal strike. Nox jumped back, dodging my attack, then charged at me. I parried his stabbing attack and moved back. Then he disappeared again. This guy was really fast.

"Behind you," then a chuckle. I whirled back and guarded just in time from a vertical attack coming from below. He must've thought I wouldn't notice the sword from below. I didn't but I did notice the sword wasn't directly above me. I got pushed backwards and hit the wooden staircase railing, a small cry escaping my lips. I slid down and felt a sharp, pulsating pain along the middle and upper part of my back, mostly on my spine. I stumble as I try to get up, pain slicing up my spine. I could see Nox in the middle of the room. Then he ran rapidly towards me, his body a blur. In just a few seconds, Nox was in front of me, slowly raising his katana, a sadistic look embossed on his face.

"Buh-bye Princess," I closed my eyes, waiting for the extremely sharp edges to slice me up. Instead, I heard a loud CLANG! I opened my eyes shocked, vision blurry from the force I had my eyes closed, and all I saw was Nox stumbling back. Then, I saw a spinning keyblade return to its owner, Sora. He used strike raid to parry Nox's attack.

"Why you little-" said Nox furious. He charged at Sora. As Sora readied himself, Max came between them.

"We have to go!"

"What!" Nox said in raging disbelief, as if he was actually enjoying himself, "Why!"

"The wind has changed. Master Gracey is coming. He doesn't know about this, our help from Ramsey. He will be suspicious," warned Max. This time, Max's hood was down. He looked almost like Nox, maybe a more narrow face, with long black hair to his neck, and had grey eyes.

"Fine," Nox said reluctantly. " See you later." He waved off. It was like he didn't care anymore. I noticed when those two left, they went through Corridors of Darkness. Soon after, Master Gracey appeared.

"Whatever happened here?" He asked, surprised to see me sitting on the floor and in pain.

"She tripped and fell down the staircase," Riku came up with quickly.

"Ah I see," Master Gracey replied, "Are you alright my dear?"

"Yes I am," I replied though my back was still sore. I tried to put an innocent smile as if this really was an accident and giggled. "Hehe clumsy me."

'This isn't a matter to be laughing about Miss. Can you stand?" He asked sincerely. I think I had nearly forgotten I was sitting at the foot of the staircase.

"I'm sure I can," I replied as I hoisted myself up using the railing. Pain pinched multiple parts of my back, but I tried not to let it show. I held myself on the railing and smiled back at Master Gracey. "See, I'm fine."

Master Gracey smiled back. "It's good to hear that." Then he turned slowly, ready to leave.

"Sir," It was ramsey's old and husky voice. We all turned and watched him. I think we all forgot his presence while we were fighting. "The children wish to return to their homes."

"Very well, you may now go now that the storm has subsided."

"Thank you for your hospitality," I said, but he had already left the hall.

"Why are you letting us go?" Riku asked Ramsey.

"Would you rather stay? Besides you were leaving before I stopped you. I have no reason to now. But be warned, you will be seeing _them_ again." Then Ramsey disappeared in a blue wisp of smoke.

"Let's go," Sora said. As I walked, my back was very sore with every step I took. Nox was very strong. I tried stretching my back. It felt relaxing, but some sharp pain accompanying it.

"Don't strain yourself," king Mickey said, "Just relax.'

"How do I do that while walking?"

"Uhmm… maybe you can ride my back," Sora suggested with a nervous smile to my reply. I really didn't know what to say. _He is willing to do that?_ "You wouldn't be doing anything to hurt your back evn more."

"Alright. Are you sure you're ok with this?"

Sora helped me onto his back without answering. _I guess it's a yes._ He carried me the whole way to the Gummi Ship. I felt the muscles and nerves in my back begin to release.

"Thank you, for protecting me Sora." He glanced a little my way and I noticed his mouth curve up into a smile. As we continued towards the ship, a warm feeling gradually grew inside my chest. I rested my head on his shoulder and neck, my own smile showing. I have felt this before several times, but this time was different. It was the best feeling ever.

* * *

NARRATION:

Two figures walked into a world, filled completely with darkness. They walked on, following a floating torch, eventually walking into a room filled with torchlight. In the middle of the room was a throne, pointy with spires, and in it sat a man covered in the dark shadows cast by objects light by the torches. The two people with him now were Nox and Max.

"You don't have the Princess with you," the mysterious man stated in a deep, hoarse tone. Nox just hung back, not out of fear however, leaving his brother Max to do the talking.

"No Master Xior, please forgive us."

"No need for apologies," the man named Xior said, rather compassionately. "I didn't expect you to bring her right away. She does have several allies."

"Master wouldn't it be faster to kill the Princesses we have now and deal with the others later," asked Nox skeptically.

"Tru, but wouldn't it also be easier and faster to just capture them all and kill them rather than apprehend them individually? Besides, they will be useful dead or alive. Don't bring it up again." Xior glared at Nox and his eyes turned a glowing bright red. Nox looked away, that way he wouldn't feel weak and threatened. Then Xior's eyes returned its color to a dark brown.

"What do you want us to do with the last Princess?" asked Nox, breaking the silence.

'Do what I've always been telling you. Bring her to me, or kill her on the spot. If you have to have Axa confront them." Nox and Max looked at him slightly surprised that Xior would suggest letting Axa accompany them.

"Very well sir," Max replied, sounding indifferent. Nox simply nodded.

"Before you leave though," Master Xior called to them as they turned to leave, "If you fail to bring her here or kill her, just remember she will come to us eventually. We will rid of her in any way possible."

* * *

Well, there you have it! ^_^ Stay tuned for the next chapter.. Where will our trio go? Keep in mind there may be some old worlds too but very few I believe. See you all in the next chapter ^_^.


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